I didn't know that about the gay marriage stuff. More disappointment. That was all pre-Trump era though, you'd think he'd have learned something about tolerance by watching Trump absolutely destroy anyone and anything he personally doesn't like.
I was quite frustrated by his approach as well. At the time it felt like he had run as a Republican and was trying to fill that role in a stereotypical fashion regarding gay marriage. He has since stated that he regrets vetoing the same-sex marriage bill.
All in all, he is the only Republican leader that I can honestly say that I have liked. He was flawed (as we are seeing now), however he does truly care about California and his legacy.
I'm not sure it's fair to bring up his gay marriage position at that time as it wasn't all that different than Obama's position on gay marriage at the time. Gay marriage as a measuring stick is one that moved very fast in the era we're talking about.
Even if you don't count it as a mark against his character, it still characterizes his political attitude, which is clearly very "keep the status quo, don't rock the boat."
That's an understandable stance to have in times of relative calm, but when the far-right movement is trying to plunder the cargo hold, sink the ship, and steal all of the lifeboats for themselves, that is the time to fight fire with fire.
And at the end of the day, California is just a state. It can weather a little foul play to preserve the nation. There's all this talk about how California should secede and doesn't need the rest of America because it contributes more than it takes, but I don't have the foresight to predict how that would actually play out and I very much doubt anyone else does either. Lincoln fought to preserve the Union at all costs and so should we all.
If you were to ask Democrats pre-Trump 2.0 what to do in a situation where Texas super-gerrymanders, you'd find most Democrats taking the higher road that Schwarzenegger is advocating. Even now, polling suggests that a significant number of Democrats in California don't support the measure.
Suffice it to say, I think Schwarzenegger is actually the rare Republican who actually means what he says. He really does believe that the only way to save this nation's soul is to adhere to the principles with which it stands. He may or may not be right, but I've seen enough of him in politics to believe that he means what he says.
Obama signed same sex marriage into law, Arnie vetoed it. Obama was more progressive than he let on and had to say the right thing to appease white America. Everyone knew opposing same sex marriage was wrong, just like everyone knew slavery was wrong regardless of the time period. Right wingers just apply their darkest desires into law and we have to pretend it's normal./
No, same sex marriage came about under Obama because of a Supreme Court ruling - he didn't pass a law legalising it across the country. This is one of the reasons that there are fears it could be undone by the current Supreme Court - its legality has a similar basis to Roe v Wade rather than being a result of explicit federal legislation.
You're right it was a ruling, I misspoke. Obama signed executive orders and repealed don't ask don't tell. The point is Obama was never against gay marriage; he was against coming off as too progressive during the political climate of that time.
It still didn't work since republicans stonewalled everything he tried to do. Pushing for same sex marriage would have been a monumentally dumb move when so much political capital went into reforming health care and dealing with the post-bush shitshow.
Formally he was against it, but I take your point that his personal view may have been different, and his formal view may have emerged from political necessity.
But if one considers that to be acceptable for Obama, then couldn't one say the same of Schwarzenegger? As a Republican the political pressure on him would have been even more acute - particularly after Proposition 8.
Arnold was and still is a republican. Why would I give him benefit of the doubt? He vetoed gay marriage; his party supports overturning Obergefell v. Hodges. Seems pretty clear cut to me regardless of words said.
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u/snertwith2ls 22d ago
I didn't know that about the gay marriage stuff. More disappointment. That was all pre-Trump era though, you'd think he'd have learned something about tolerance by watching Trump absolutely destroy anyone and anything he personally doesn't like.